


Freefall

by Ruar



Series: there are monsters here (and they stay here by my side) [5]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Multi, nothing much happens just Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-08-24 09:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16637411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruar/pseuds/Ruar
Summary: “As much as this pains me to say it,” Aaron takes a breath.  “Yeah, Neil. I like you.” Neil doesn’t say anything, and it unnerves Aaron that the resident smartmouth isn’t talking. “Don’t tell me you thought this was hate sex.”Neil stays quiet at that too.





	Freefall

**Author's Note:**

> sorry not much happens i just wanted something soft

Aaron wakes up early that morning to catch up on an assignment for class. It’s a just stupid ochem problem set that takes up way more effort than he wants to put in, but homework is worth a ridiculous amount of his grade for some stupid reason. He erases his mechanism for the third time when his stomach grumbles at him in protest. He looks up at the clock and sighs. He should get in some breakfast. He shuffles out into the common area of their suite with his blanket wrapped around him, blinking back at all the lights that are on. He’s not surprised to find Neil already awake in the kitchenette, still sweaty from his ungodly morning run. Aaron shuffles by with a “morning,” trying not to stare too hard at Neil’s legs, his well defined calves bulging as he reaches up on his toes for something on the top shelf. He quickly blinks back up when Neil turns around to face him. 

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Aaron goes over to the bean bags and sighs as he falls into one of them. He’s glad the semester is almost over, but fuck if all the upcoming finals weren’t wearing down on his nerves. Not to mention practice and the whirlwind of trouble that always followed Neil Josten. Aaron would to just like to get a fucking break.

Neil hands over his coffee filled mug with a quick kiss on his cheek. Aaron recoils at the feeling of Neil’s sweaty face in his personal space. 

“Ugh, gross. Go shower.” He takes a sip of his mug and mutters, “I can’t believe of all people I fall for, it’s you.”

Neil pauses at that, blinking owlishly at him. 

Aaron freezes then, backtracking over the words he let slip. _Shit._ He looks away. He wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. 

Neil pulls the mug gently out his hands and sets it on the table before leaning forward into his line of sight. Aaron won’t meet his eyes and he’s sure his cheeks are betraying him with a flush. Neil has known ever since they first started this whole thing that Aaron thought he looked...nice. He had brought up wanting to kiss and touch Neil. Their initial discussion with Andrew was lengthy and awkward and filled with the necessary conditions, but…

He’s never actually said-

“You...like me?” Neil blurts. He’s met with silence. “You like me,” he amends it into a statement.

“No, I fucking hate your guts Josten.” Aaron makes as if to get up and Neil shoots his hands out, not touching but blocking Aaron from getting any further. Even now, he’s being stupidly considerate. Aaron turns to look at him. Clear blue eyes stare back at him, softer in their gaze than anyone should be looking at him with.

“But you don’t hate fucking my guts.” 

Aaron flushes even more. And then snorts, a ugly wet sound bubbling up through his nose. It surprises the both of them and then Aaron starts choking on his own spit and Neil is too stunned at the sudden turn of events to help him from his laughter induced death. Aaron can’t remember the last time he wholeheartedly laughed like this. He must be lacking more air than he thought because he briefly entertains the thought of how at ease he feels with Neil. Once Aaron finally has a hold on his sanity and his poor lungs, he looks up to meet Neil’s eyes again.

“Oh god, Neil. That was a terrible line. Don’t tell me this is how you and Andrew flirt.”

Neil stares blankly at him, unsure of how to answer because he hadn’t intended his comeback to be anything that could be considered flirting.

Aaron blinks and then has a look of realization. “Oh, you don’t even know that you’re flirting. Great.” Neil crosses his arms at that, opening his mouth to say something about that, but it wasn’t Aaron’s intention to point out his lack of understanding social cues. It seems there’s no way to get through to Neil other than bluntly. He holds up a hand to stop Neil from spewing an unnecessary argument.

“As much as this pains me to say it,” Aaron takes a breath. “Yeah, Neil. I like you.” Neil doesn’t say anything, and it unnerves Aaron that the resident smartmouth isn’t talking. “Don’t tell me you thought this was hate sex.”

Neil stays quiet at that too. 

“Oh jeez. Fucking’s great Neil, but don’t you dare think I was only in this for your messed up pretty face.” 

Neil flinches a bit and Aaron feels his gut turn a little. He sighs and run his hand through his hair, looking up to the ceiling trying to think of better words. 

“Fuck. I mean, you’re hot, ok Neil. But you’re a fucking train wreck. Not to mention, everything that’s happened with-” Aaron waves his hand. “You know. You can’t think this is only physical for me.” _I care about you. I would kill for you._ He leaves these sentiments unsaid.

When he finally bring his eyes back down, Neil has the stupidest soft smile on his face, and Aaron feels ready to add some black to those stupid blue eyes. 

“Me too,” Neil adds quietly. 

Aaron rolls his eyes. “Obviously.” It doesn’t take much to know Neil doesn’t swing, despite the amount of dumbasses that still try to question him about it. Aaron knows better. And Aaron is by no means a mind reader, but with how much he unwillingly knows about Neil, he’d be an idiot not to hear his _I care about you too. I would die for you._ in those two whispered words.

He tugs at the collar of Neil’s shirt to silently ask for a kiss and Neil is pulled in easily. He can feel the smile even as their lips touch, curving upward against his own, and Aaron wills his heart to stop speeding up against his will. 

“Thought I was gross,” Neil whispers.

“You are,” Andrew suddenly pipes in from nowhere, and Aaron swears he loses a few years of already short life. “Go fucking shower.”

“Shit, Andrew.” Aaron lets go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Do you always have to do that?” The silence he gets is an answer enough and he just sighs. This is too much feeling for today. Aaron is ready to go back to bed. He parts from Neil’s warm mouth and watches Neil give Andrew a quick peck before he gets shooed off. Aaron goes to grab his forgotten coffee and blanket on the bean bag before turning back to the room, but gets tugged back by his sleeve. When he looks, he doesn’t expect it to be Andrew. He looks down at the hand wrapped around his wrist and then questioningly back up at the eyes that mirror his own. Andrew stares back unwaveringly, giving his wrist a soft squeeze. 

“Have a good heart to heart?” Andrew says, tone less mocking that he expected it to come out.

Aaron manages a nod in reply.

Aaron’s not sure if he can read the emotions in those eyes correctly when he squeezes back just as softly. Then he gets a nod before Andrew turns away to the bathroom, probably to join Neil. Aaron rolls his eyes at how predictable that is and returns back to his room to finally finish his assignment.

The day goes on uneventfully after that, class and practice like usual, but Aaron feels a weight lifted from his chest when he goes up to the roof this time. He falls asleep easily that night, wrapping his hand around his own wrist, warm with the memory of smoke and chapped lips against his own.

*

Aaron’s confession shouldn’t be a surprise, shouldn’t change anything that is already happening. It’s nothing that Neil hadn’t already known, even if he only doubted it in the slightest sense. _Hate sex_ , Aaron had worded it. No, Neil never thought it was that with Aaron, couldn’t fathom how that was a thing for anyone. It was always different than how it is with Andrew, but he just never thought that Aaron actually… Neil smiles to himself as he closes the bathroom door. Somehow he finds those words settling, like wrapping a blanket around his shoulders and letting the warmth surround him, trusting that it won’t fall off.

He strips out of his sweaty clothes as he waits for the shower to run hot water, pleased when he hears Andrew’s familiar knock on the door.

Neil peeks his head out. 

“Wanna join?”

Neil gets his answer in a heated kiss and roaming hands and a “yes” bitten into the crook of his neck.

*

The next morning Aaron is waken up way too early for his afternoon class by a soft knocking on his door. He cracks open one eye. The sun has barely risen, painting the room in a muted grey. Aaron groans and closes his eyes again. It’s too early for anything. He already falling asleep again before he hears the muffled, “Aaron?” coming through the door. Fucking Neil and his 6 am runs.

“Just come in.” Aaron croaks out.

He hears Neil open and close the door softly before he shuffles up to his bedside. Aaron finally opens his eyes again to take in a sleep ruffled Neil, eye bags evident of a sleepless night. Not a 6 am run Neil then.

“C-can I sleep with you?” he whispers.

It’s not exactly the first time they’ve shared a bed, though usually it involved all three of them being very, very awake. This closeness in the dark hours of the morning, one half asleep and the other being chased by past monsters, is something new.

Aaron doesn’t have enough energy to question whatever the fuck is going on. He scoots back into the wall, pulling the blanket back in invitation. He shivers at the loss of heat.

Neil slowly settles into the bed, leaving as much of a gap as he can with the two of them on a twin size mattress. 

“You can come closer,” Aaron whispers. The mattress bounces as Neil shuffles minutely closer to still leave a gap. Frustrated, Aaron reaches his hand out to cradle the back of his head, slowly pulling him in to smush Neil’s face into his chest. 

“Is this okay?” 

Neil’s hair tickles at his chin when he tries to tilt his head up. “Yes,” he mumbles and then raises a hand to grip his fingers into Aaron’s shirt. “Thanks.” _Too fucking early for this._

“Just sleep.” 

Aaron presses his chin gently into the top of Neil’s head and lets his eyes fall shut. As he listens to Neil’s breathing finally even out and warmth fills the blanket again, he falls asleep himself. The room settles into silence once more. 

*

Andrew comes back from his stupid morning psychology class to these idiots wrapped up together in sleep. The sight of it is warm enough to make him want to shove into the bed and fall asleep with them too. Instead, he settles onto the desk pushed up against the window to light a cigarette.

He looks over at Neil snuggled up against Aaron and wonders if he could look like that with Neil, if that’s what they would look like if Andrew could. The process of casual touch between them has been getting better, but doing so during sleep still runs the highest risk of injury for both of them...the three of them. He takes another drag, simply watching the light skittering softly across Neil’s hair and Aaron’s face, peaceful in sleep. _This could be mine._ He amends himself. _This is ours to have._

“Staring.” He looks over at the sound of Aaron’s voice and meets Aaron’s bleary gaze. _Not sleeping then._ He lets out the smoke slowly. 

“Yeah,” Andrew allows. Neil shuffles a bit at the sound, but he’s too tired to fully wake. Andrew lets his eyes linger over his soft looking curls again and then back to Aaron’s eyes that struggle to stay open. Andrew closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the window. Aaron takes that as his cue to let his eyes slip shut too. The brothers spend the rest of the morning in silence, reveling in the smell of smoke and the sound of Neil’s soft breathing between them. 

_This is ours._

**Author's Note:**

> in which aaron almost laughs to death and neil thinks thats kinda hot


End file.
